How Did This Happen?
by GraphicArtist13
Summary: A beautiful day turns into a day of revelations as Tanya and Duke go through some situations that change them for the better. But what does Dragaunus' genetic mutator have to do with the mix? Tanya/Duke R&R please! :)


**How Did This Happen?**

It was such a beautiful day in Anaheim. The ducks had successfully defeated Dragaunus and his goons, but were stranded in this universe since the gateway generator had been destroyed along with the rest of the ship. The ducks had been relieved that Dragaunus was stopped, but were saddened that they could not return home to Puckworld. The ducks decided that since it was a beautiful day, that they would go out and browse around the town.

Wildwing had taken the mask of Drake DuCaine and put it in storage with the rest of the souvenirs they had acquired over the last year. He looked at it sadly, remembering that they had lost a great companion while trying to capture Dragaunus. Canard was never really far from his mind. He knew he was in dimensional limbo somewhere, but he had no idea where. The other five ducks stood by and watched as their leader put away the mask. It was hard for all of the ducks. They knew they had enemies still lurking here in Anaheim, but they could take care of them without the use of the mask. They knew it, and Wildwing knew it too. Turning to the other ducks, he used his com and changed into his street clothes that he had saved. When he looked towards the others, he saw they had done the same thing. Mallory kept her puck launcher on her belt, for just in case. Duke had placed the hilt of his sword in his pocket. Tanya kept her Omnitool on her wrist. Nosedive strapped his puck launcher onto his belt as well. Grin...well he just changed into normal clothes.

"Well, let's get going ducks. Let's try to have a relaxing day today," Wildwing stated, "I will be going to the Anaheim mall with Mallory and Dive."

"I will head down to the park to get in some peaceful meditation," Grin added calmly.

Tanya fixed her glasses, "I will be heading to 'Lectric Land. I need to get some new parts to replace old ones in the Migrator and Aerowing."

Wildwing turned to Duke, "What about you?"

Duke looked around to see everyone staring at him, "Um...I will...uh..." he caught sight of Tanya looking at him then smirked, "I will go with Tanya to help her out with workin' on our gadgets, gizmos and what not." Everyone looked at Duke like he had grown two heads. "What? Is a duck not allowed to accompany his fellow duck and help in any way he can?"

"Well...uh...sure Duke...but you have never really...how should I put this?" Wildwing pondered.

Nosedive cut in, "You're not tech wise dude! You are about as bad with technology as Mallory!" That earned him a swat on the back of his head from said red-headed duck.

Wildwing shot his little brother a look before looking at Duke once more, "You never really showed interest in wanted to help Tanya before when it came to working on our gear," he turned to the blonde duck who had not spoken up during this conversation, "Tanya...what are your thoughts on this matter?"

She looked around at the others, then looked to Duke, studying him momentarily. Turning back to the others, she shrugged, "If he wants to come along with me, then I don't have a problem with it. I'm as shocked as you guys are, but if he wants to help me I'm fine with it. I could use an extra set of hands to en...uh...enhan...tune up our gear and vehicles." She then looked to Duke and smiled slightly, "I could also use another opinion on some upgrades I have in mind."

Wildwing and the others nodded, "Alright...let's meet back at the Aerowing in about three hours. That should give us all plenty of time to enjoy the day." Everyone agreed then went their separate ways.

Duke and Tanya started walking towards 'Lectric Land. Tanya broke the awkward silence, "Say...um...Duke...not that I'm complaining, but why would you decided to come with me? I would have thought you wanted to go with Wildwing and the others. I'm just con...um...confu...curious why you wanted to come with me?"

Duke smiled, "C'mon sweetheart. I just wanna actually see whatcha do when we split. It may not be as excitin' as what the others do, but I'm curious what ya do and where ya go angel."

Tanya couldn't help it, she found herself blushing as Duke L'Orange flirted with her. Why he was flirting, she had no clue, but she wasn't about to stop and ask. It was bad enough she had a major crush on the drake, she didn't want to make it worse by making it awkward. Arriving at 'Lectric Land, the two ducks walked inside and looked around the store. Tanya walked over towards the circuit boards and placed a hand under her beak, pondering, "I could always update Drake One's main circuit system. Even if Dragaunus isn't a threat, it wouldn't hurt to make sure everything is up to date when it comes to tracking down the bad guys. This city is full of them and the right circuitry would be a good idea."

"Whatever you say sweetheart. What do you need my help with dollface?" he asked, risking a glance towards the female duck. He smirked seeing her pale-yellow feathers turn a dark orange from the furious blush that flushed on her face. _It is so easy to get her to blush. She is so adorably shy and is so easily embarrassed. If I wasn't such a chicken I would ask her to be my girl, but every time I go to ask, somethin' gets in the way or I freeze up. Curse these feelings of mine._

Tanya and Duke spent about an hour in 'Lectric Land. Once they were finished, they both walked out carrying a bag a piece. Tanya's bag was filled with a couple of circuit boards, toggle switches, and a few tools she needed to be able to properly install the components. Duke's bag had five packs of wires. Each a different color. There was also a couple of drinks in the bag for them. A root beer for Duke and a bottle of water for Tanya. Handing Tanya her drink, he looked out to the park, "Ya wanna sit down and take a breather in the park? Or would ya wanna take a stroll with me? It is a lovely day after all."

Tanya thought it over then shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me. We can take this stuff to the Aerowing then take a walk. Would that sound okay Duke?"

He smiled then nodded, "Sounds perfect sweetheart."

Blushing slightly, she nodded as they headed towards the Aerowing. As they were walking, an enemy of theirs was closing in fast, holding a ray of some sort.

Duke and Tanya, blissfully unaware of the danger, were laughing at a few things Nosedive had done, "You rememba' when he and Grin offered to stay behind to that all-ya-can-eat, Food-In-A-Boot photoshoot? Grin said the guy told 'im to bring out his inner anchove." They burst out laughing, stopping for a bit.

"Yeah. Grin said he was having trouble channelling his inner anchove," Tanya added, "and the food was hor...um...horri...bad."

Duke and Tanya continued walking. Duke then added, "It's always so easy to talk to ya Tanya. Much easier than talkin' to Mallory or Dive."

"I feel the same way. I may not have anything fas...fascin...interesting to say most of the time but you listen anyway. I've got to ask you something though," she said.

"What is it sweetheart?"

Just as she was about to ask, two figures jumped out from behind some bushes aiming a laser at the ducks. Their eyes opened wide seeing the Chameleon and Siege.

"B-b-but I thought they went down with their ship. How are they here?" Tanya asked.

Siege grinned evilly, "We switched to auxillary power as soon as the ship went under the water. You didn't think you'd gotten rid of us that easily did ya?! Mangy ducks!" He pointed his laser at the ducks as well, "Now...if you don't cooperate, you're gonna be on the receiving end of this newly enhanced genetic mutator. I don't know what it does to ducks but we would love to find out."

Tanya looked at Duke then glared at Siege and the Chameleon, "We will never do anything you say!"

"Tanya's right. We are the good guys. We would never work for or with ya," the drake added.

The Chameleon and Siege looked at each other and grinned. The Chameleon snickered, "Don't say we didn't warn ya!" With that said, they shot the two ducks, hitting them square in the chest. They screamed in pain then collapsed on the ground. The last thing either one of them hear is Siege's surprised voice, "So that's what it does to ducks. Let's get these two back to the ship before the other pesky ducks show up." Then the world went black.

~2 hours later~

Tanya and Duke were in a cage when they woke up. Tanya opened her eyes, only to realize that she doesn't have her glasses on. She pats the ground for a second, trying to find her glasses. Having no such luck, she squints her eyes trying to look around. All she is able to make out is someone beside her with dark hair and a dark suit. Not really being able to tell who it is, she shakes them slightly, "Duke? Duke is that you? Duke wake up...I can't find my glasses so I can't really see where we are."

The figure woke up and rubbed at his face, "I'm up...geez. The last thing I rememba' was gettin' ambushed by Dragaunus' goons. Tanya are ya ok-" he stopped mid-sentence, his eye going wide. He rubbed his eye then looked at her to make sure he was seeing correctly. There, beside him, sat a pretty blonde female human. Her skin was pale, and she had a purple headband on her forehead, her blonde hair falling down to her shoulders, slightly curling on the ends. She had freckles above her nose and along her cheeks. Her bright blue eyes looking at him, unfocused as if she couldn't quite see him. She wore a baggy purple jacket and black pants that hung loose on her slim frame. Looking her all over, he was certain someone was playing a trick on him. _Only one way to find out._ He leaned forward slightly, looking her in the eye and said, "Tanya? Is that you sweetheart?"

Sure enough, he was answered by the nasally voice he had come to love so much, "Yes Duke, it's me. It looks like we have been captured and taken to the Raptor. I'm confused though...Siege hit us with the genetic mutator, but we are unaffected."

He then realized, she couldn't see anything. Looking around, he saw her glasses beside him. Picking up her glasses he gently placed them on her face, watching as she closed her eyes then blinked a bit trying to adjust. "Ya might want to look again sweetheart."

When Tanya looked up, she didn't see Duke L'Orange, the flirtatious duck she knew. She saw a tan-skinned human with dark grayish, brown hair with a light gray streak up by his bangs and a small ponytail in the back. He had a scar run across his lips, and a black eyepatch with a glowing red dot shining through it, over his right eye. His eye that she could see was a chocolate brown. He wore a black trench coat over a burgandy sweater. _Holy mother of ducks! I have got to stop staying up in my lab. I think my lack of sleep is making me see things. But just to be certain..._ Tanya looked into the guys face, "Duke?"

"Yeah...it's me dollface," came his response in the rouge accent he possessed, "looks like we've been turned to humans. We gotta call the others and tell 'em." They start looking for their weapons and coms but can't find them anywhere. Duke cursed silently, "Seems Dragaunus took our weapons and coms from us. We are literaly sittin' ducks."

"Gosh! We've been turned into humans. This shouldn't even be physically possible even with having a weapon with a capability of mutation. This is just too strange. We have to get a hold of Wildwing...but how?" Tanya asked, looking around for anything she could use to hack into the ship's mainframe. Seeing nothing she could use, she looked at Duke and sighed, "There's nothing here I can use. And, without my Omnitool, we wouldn't have a chance of getting out. We just gonna have to wait for the others to find us...that means we might be here for a while, might as well get comfy."

He nodded, "You're right...once Wildwing and the others notice we're gone, they'll come lookin' for us. We might as well just lay back until we can figure it out." Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Tanya shiver slightly as she lay on the cool floor, "Tanya," when she looked at him, he smiled, "it would probably be wise to share body heat. This ship is freezing and we don't need ta risk gettin' sick."

Tanya looked down to think about it then realized he was right. Even if it is embarrassing, they couldn't afford for either of them to get sick. She crawled over to where he was laying then layed next to him, laying her head on his chest. He was warm and comfortable. Looking up to see his face, she saw him looking back at her with a look she hadn't ever seen on his face before. She then moved further up and leaned her head against his chest, resting her head under his chin. She didn't know what made her do it, but it felt right to be there with him. Taking off her glasses, she set them beside Duke. Closing her eyes, she found sleep in his comforting embrace.

Duke was honestly surprised when she leaned against him, her head under his chin. Tanya wasn't usually one to openly show her emotions, so this honestly came to him as a shock. He smiled warmly then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her slim frame against him. For once, even though they had no control of this situation, everything felt right. Sleep found him as he drifted off with Tanya in his arms.

~Back at the Aerowing~

"Where are they? They were supposed to have been back by now," Wildwing stated. He used the Aerowing's computer to track their coms. The computer began loading slowly, Wildwing fumed, "What a time to have the computer slow down on us."

Mallory walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry. We'll find them. Tanya probably just stayed at 'Lectric Land too long. If Duke is still with her then he must be bored out of his mind. Let's go check before we jump to conclusions."

Once Wildwing agreed, they headed towards 'Lectric Land to locate the two missing ducks. Walking in, they saw it was empty except for the cashier. Mallory walked over to him, "Excuse me. Were Tanya and Duke here earlier?"

The boy nodded, "Yes ma'am. Tanya was going on about trying to fix some things on the vehicles and Duke was talking to her, telling her if it was a good idea or a bad one...but that was at least two and a half hours ago. They had left shortly after paying. He was carrying a bag and she was as well." He then proceeded to give them a list of the things that were in the bags, "Oh and when they were outside, I heard them say something about taking the bags back to the Aerowing then going for a walk. I hope that helps."

"It sure does. Thank you," Mallory stated as they walked out. Wildwing looked down the street curiously. Mallory tilted her head confused, "What's up?"

"If they were headed to the Aerowing, then they wouldn't have far to walk. There weren't any other bags except for the ones we carried in. That would mean they were ambushed before they got there..." he trailed off as they walked down the street. They then stopped seeing two bags lying on the sidewalk. Running over to them, they saw the items that the cashier had listed for them. Wildwing looked around and saw a few scales not far from the bags, along with two bottles. Looking closer, he saw it was the root beer and water that the two had purchased. Opening his eyes wide, he looked at the others, "These scales...they have to belong to the Chameleon and Siege. But that's impossible...we saw the Raptor go down."

Mallory placed a hand on Wildwing's arm, "Wildwing...is it possible that they used the auxillary power like they had done before. That would explain how they are still alive. And if they have Tanya and Duke..."

"They could be in trouble!" he finished for her. Right then, the Aerowing's computer started beeping. They ran inside and looked at the screen to see that it showed Tanya's and Duke's coms sitting right beside each other. When they zoomed out, they typed in the coordinates and flew towards the destination as quickly as they could. Wildwing clenched his fists, "I don't have the mask...why did this have to happen? I feel so helpless!"

"Don't."

Wildwing looked up to see Mallory taking something out of her pack. His eyes widened seeing Drake DuCaine's mask, then he looked at her, "How...?"

"I couldn't stand to see you looking so broken when you put the mask in storage. Before we all got in the Aerowing, I ran in and snagged it out of storage for just in case," she said proudly.

He took the mask, put it on, then took the wheel, "Let's go save our friends."

Once they found the location, Wildwing activated the mask, using it to see where the ship is hiding. He looked around for a few minutes and still saw nothing. He looked a little more to the right and stopped when he saw a rear thruster from a ship. Looking towards it, he saw the Raptor. Taking hold of the others, he led them in to the ship, proceeding with caution just in case.

Out of nowhere, one of Dragaunus' robots started firing at the ducks. After exchanging rounds, the ducks easily overtook the machines and moved further into the Raptor. Then, they met up with Chameleon and Siege. Wraith appeared and held a fire ball in his hands, "Now...listen here you meddling fowls. We have your teammates. If you ever want to see them alive, then you must do as we say. Got it?"

"First show us proof that they are alive and okay," Wildwing stated.

The three henchmen went down the corridor, leaving the other four ducks to follow them. They took many twists and turns, but they eventually came to a cage in the middle of the room. Upon seeing the outfits, they all ran to the edge of the cage. Mallory got on her knees seeing them laying on the ground then gripped the bars, "Tanya...Tanya! Hey you gotta wake up...show us you're both still alive." The sleeping figure sat up and rubbed at her eyes. They all sighed in relief only for all four of their jaws to drop to the floor when her arms lowered. They didn't see their teammate and fellow duck. They saw a beautiful freckle-faced human female.

Wildwing looked towards Wraith, "We asked you to take us to our teammates, not to show us these humans. Where are Tanya and Duke?!" He was getting madder by the second. They heard shuffling behind them and turned to see the girl reach for a pair of glasses, identical to Tanya's. Once she sat up again, they saw the other human. This one was tanner and had a scar over his lips.

The girl straightened her glasses then her eyes opened wide seeing the ducks. They all looked on as the girl got up off the ground and gripped the same bars as Mallory. As they looked at her, they noticed the blonde hair, purple headband, the glasses, everything was exactly the same as Tanya's. They were confused until she spoke up, her nasally voice rushing to their ears.

"It's about time you got here."

They looked at her with their eyes open wide, "TANYA?!"

She shrugged, "Yeah who else would I be?"

Nosedive whistled, "Man Tanya! You're hot!" That earned him, yet another, slap to the back of the head by Mallory, "Ow! What? She is hot!" Tanya's face was blood red at his comment.

"Even so, you don't just say stuff like that. But all kidding aside, you really do look good Tanya," Mallory stated.

"T-t-thanks Mallory."

"What's with all the hulla-balloo?" a groggy voice said from behind Tanya.

She turned and helped him stand, "Duke they came for us."

The guy looked at them then smirked, it was then that they saw the eyepatch, the hair, and the outfit. It was Duke alright.

Wildwing looked at the Saurians, and pointed his puck launcher at them, "Change them back."

"Now why would we do that? There is no way to change them back. They will live as humans for the rest of their miserable lives. It is just two less ducks we have to deal with," he said.

"Because if you don't change them back, then we will have to fight you and make sure you don't make it out alive this time," Wildwing threatened.

"Rubbish. You couldn't harm us even if you wanted to, let alone kill us. To be honest though, I thought those two in the cage would have been happy to be trapped together. After all...love is a strong emotion...much stronger than hate." he said looking towards the ducks with an evil grin.

The two immediately stiffened then looked at each other. After catching the other's eyes, they turn away looking at the ground. Wraith had them right where he wanted them.

Wildwing signalled them to come closer. Duke took hold of Tanya's wrist, pulling her to the edge of the cage where the others are, getting away from Wraith. The two had matching blushes on their faces.

Wildwing leaned in to talk to them, making sure the henchmen couldn't hear him, "Duke...Tanya...this isn't the time to be doing this. We need to get you two out of there, but we need a distraction. Something that would keep their attention if for a few seconds. Guys...this really isn't going to sound right...but have either of you actually done a stage kiss?" At the word 'kiss', their faces lit up even brighter than before.

"Y-Yeah...I've done it once or twice...to distract a guard with PDA. It worked," Duke said. They all turned to Tanya.

"U-um...well...I was never really one to do anything like plays or even anything as extra...extrava...daring as Duke has. So, no, I do not," Tanya admitted. Just when Wildwing was about to say something, she added, "B-but I know how it's supposed to be done. And I have to say it will be easier to pull off as humans...as ducks you gotta worry about big beaks getting in the way."

"Do you think you guys would be able to pull it off?" Mallory asked. Tanya and Duke looked at each other then looked at the others and nodded. "Alright...let's kick some Saurian tail!" Mallory yelled shooting her puck launcher at Chameleon.

Wraith hung back, trying to assess the situation. From his peripheral vision, he saw movement in the cage. He then heard Duke talking, "Tanya, I know this isn't the time or the place, but I gotta tell ya this."

"T-tell me what Duke?" she stuttered. Her back was facing Wraith. He looked toward the scene, not seeing that Chameleon and Siege were losing.

Duke placed his hands on her shoulders, "I love ya Tanya. More than you could ever know."

Looking Duke in the eye, she saw that he meant those words. To some degree, he did really love her, but did he mean as a friend or more? "B-but..." she glanced at the team for a second as they looked at her as if to say 'Keep going, just a little longer.' "H-how could I know you're telling me the truth? After all, you are a master jewel thief. You are used to toying with other's emotions. What if...what if you're toying with mine just to get what you want?" she asked lowering her head, feigning sadness.

Duke placed a finger under her chin, lifting her head gently as a single tear slid down her face, "I wouldn't ever do that to ya angel. I would never lie to ya either. Believe me Tanya...I do love ya. And nothing could break us apart, I'm sure of that."

"How sure?"

The ducks had defeated the other two and gagged them, getting ready to attack Wraith.

"This sure." Hearing that, everyone turned towards them, seeing Duke and Tanya's faces just a couple of inches apart. They held their breath as Duke kissed below her bottom lip, close to her chin. Tanya's eyes widened for a second before softening and closing. She kissed above his upper lip, and wrapped her arms around his neck so no one would really be able to see. Duke had wrapped his arms around her waist, instinctively pulling her closer.

The ducks' eyes widened for a second, not really knowing what to expect from the 'stage kiss' since Tanya admitted to not having done it before. They looked at each other, shrugged, then looked towards Wraith whose eyes were practically popping out of his head. Wildwing ran up to him then punched him, causing him to drop the key. The two in the cage pulled away and watched Wraith get beat. They still had their arms wrapped around each other as they watched as the ducks took the key from around Wraith's neck. Once he was bound and tied to the others, the ducks walked over to the cage and stopped momentarily, seeing the two still with their arms around each other.

Mallory chuckled, "Okay love birds, you can let go of each other. Show's over."

The two looked at each other then grinned mischievously, having the same idea. Duke pulled Tanya closer and Tanya wrapped her arms around Duke's torso, leaning her head on his chest. Duke spoke up, "Now why would we want to do a thing like that?"

"Yeah...I'm actually comfortable with where I am at," Tanya teased as she looked back at her teammates. Their jaws dropped open seeing this side of Tanya.

Nosedive surprisingly recovered first then wolf-whistled, "Yeah! We know what's gonna happen tonight!"

Tanya and Duke both flushed bright red at his insinuation, and turned towards Nosedive. Duke smirked, recovering from his blush first, "And we know who it won't be happenin' to."

Nosedive blushed lightly, "W-what?"

"Oh c'mon Dive...I've seen the way you look at Tanya. Even before today, ya couldn't keep yer eyes off 'er. I think you're a bit jealous that I got to her first," Duke teased.

"N-no! That's not it...I-I swear!" he exclaimed, his blush darkening.

The other ducks laughed as Wildwing unlocked the cage. The two pulled away from each other then walked out of the cage. Taking the genetic mutator, Tanya looked at the other ducks, "Let's go to the Pond so I can an...ana...check this thing out."

They all start walking towards the Aerowing, as they are about to exit the Raptor, Duke takes Tanya by the wrist, "Tanya...we really need to talk." He ran his hand through his hair, "I mean I know this wouldn't be the right time for this kinda thing but-" He was interrupted when Tanya had walked to him, stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. He looked at her confused.

She smiled, "How about we finish this conversation later today? That way we can get away from any ducks that deside to put their beak into our business. I promise we can explain it all later...and I promise I will tell you anything you wanna know. Does that sound fair?" Seeing him nod, she placed a hand on the cheek she kissed then walked out of the Raptor, heading towards the Aerowing.

As they rode in the Aerowing, Duke felt as if he were on Cloud 9. Now he was secretly wishing that he had really kissed Tanya when they were distracting Wraith. _Oh well...I guess we'll see how tonight goes then we will figure out details later on._ He smiled to himself and leaned back in his seat. It took about ten minutes tops to get back to the Pond.

When they walked in, Tanya picked up the ray then looked at the others, "I'm gonna take this genetic mutator and see if there is any way to reverse the damage."

Once Tanya was out of sight, Mallory crossed her arms and looked at Duke, "Okay Duke, 'fess up."

"What are ya talkin' 'bout?" he asked.

"You like Tanya don't you," she half-asked and half-stated.

"No."

"What?! You so do too! We saw the way you-"

"I love 'er," Duke interrupted.

For the first time since he knew her, Mallory was speechless. She blinked at him for a second before her features softened, "So everything you actually said to her in the cage..."

"Yes...it was all true. I'm so confused...I wanna be with 'er, but I don't wanna be the one ta hold 'er back. Besides...who would love a thief like me?" he asked, looking down.

Mallory placed a hand on his shoulder, "Duke...you know Tanya just as well if not more than we do. You know how she is when it comes to feelings and such. Trust me...she isn't just a nerd, even though that's how she makes herself seem. She knows much more than you think she does when it comes to matters of the heart. Why not go talk to her? She could probably use the help and the company."

Duke had nodded, "You're right. Tanya isn't just a nerd, she my friend. She never gave up on me even when I made a mistake and let you guys believe I went back to a life of crime. Believe it or not...the night when Falcone got locked up, I couldn't sleep that night. I went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate so I could clear my mind...and she was sittin' in there. She couldn't sleep that night either. Her hair was down and she wore a black tank top with her purple pants. Tanya had just got done making adjustments to your puck launcher and tried to sleep but couldn't. She was drinking a hot cup of camamille tea. When I walked into the kitchen, she just looked at me. It wasn't a criticizin' look...it was more of the look she gets when she studies somethin'. After a few minutes, she just smiled, took off her glasses and rubbed her face. It was the first time I had seen Tanya...act completely different than how we usually see her. She was laid back and relaxed. All I could do was stand there like an idiot. She had pulled me from my thoughts and asked if I wanted some tea. I had lost the ability to talk. All I could do was nod my head, probably with a stupid grin on my face. She laughed a bit then got up and poured me a cup of tea. When I looked at her, I saw that she wasn't wearing her jumpsuit pants...they were purple pajama pants. They weren't baggy, but they weren't clingy either. They hung loose on her and really showed off her figure that no one ever sees. Her shoulders aren't as broad and neither are her hips...she's perfect."

Little did Mallory and Duke know, Tanya hadn't been out of ear-shot when the conversation began. She heard everything and was still listening as she also recalled the same night Duke explained. She honestly thought she looked like a mess that night. Her hair had fallen down as soon as she had taken off the headband and she had bags under her eyes. But to hear what Duke was saying about her, almost made her want to dress like that all the time. She heard Duke sigh happily and kept listening.

Mallory smiled, "Is that when you fell for her? Or was that when you realized there was more to Tanya than met the eye?"

"No...I had honestly been in love with her before we came to Puckworld. I had seen her when she was walkin' out of her lab before the war had started. She didn't have her hair up, and she was stretchin' from sittin' in a chair most of the day," he said, smiling, "The Brotherhood of the Blade was just about to break into a museum. I had been about to go in, until I saw her. When I looked at her, I couldn't look away. At the time, she just had regular glasses on. I called my boys and told them the gig was up, and that we needed to try another time. I got down from a room and walked over to her. She had been tryin' to flag down a taxi, but no one would stop. I walked over and flagged one down not too far from her. I opened the door, looked at her then asked her if she wanted to share a taxi. She was shocked to see it was me, a notorious mob boss, helpin' her flag down a taxi. She gave me that studious look before walking over and getting in the seat. When she had scoot to the other side, I got in behind her. I asked her where she was going and surprisingly she told me the address so I could type it in. Even back then she seemed to trust me. I had fallen hook, line, and sinker. Then Dragaunus came." Anger flashed across his face, "I had tried to make it to where she was, but I couldn't find her anywhere. I looked at the lab and at her apartment. She was gone. I was so heartbroken that I started fightin' against Dragaunus for the good guys. That's when I met up with Canard, you, Wildwing, and Dive. We were the resistance. After a few days, we kept tryin' to find someone to recruit. We had heard a violent explosion and went to check it out. We stayed out of sight so we could see the commotion. Then I saw her. She had strapped an explosive to the mechanical machine's leg, flipped a switch, then ran for cover to get out of range. When it exploded, she was thrown into a pile of trash. She climbed out with a banana peel on her beak. She took that off and threw it aside. When she turned around, dustin' herself off, I recognised her as the lab tech I fell for. Her hair was up, she wore her purple jumpsuit and she had her combat glasses on. I didn't know how much more I could love someone. I wanted to hug her so bad, but I knew we didn't have the time. I've been in love with her ever since."

"Wow Duke...that's amazing," Mallory said.

Tanya smiled then walked to her lab to get to work.

"I never knew you felt that way about Tanya...but wait...if you felt that way about her, why did you act all goofy when Lucretia DeCoy was here?" she asked.

"I don't know...I didn't want anyone to know how I felt and didn't want Tanya to catch on, so I acted a fool," he admitted. "Anywho...I'm gonna go see if Tanya needs any help figurin' out about the laser thing-a-mabob," Duke said as he walked away from Mallory. Before long, he stood right in front of the lab. Typing in the code, he walked in and saw there was no one in the lab. The laser lay on an observation table, but there was no Tanya. Just when he was about to panic, he heard the water start to run in the bathroom. Sighing in relief, he walked over to sit down until she was done. Before he even made it to the chair, Tanya had started to walk out.

She yelped in surprise and spun to try and miss running into Duke, falling back in the process. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for impact...but she never hit the floor. Opening her eyes, she gasped when she saw that Duke had caught her mid-fall. It looked as if Duke had dipped her with how he caught her. He had wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. Pulling her up, they bumped noses in the process and ended up barely an inch apart. Tanya gulped audibly and looked Duke in the eye, brown meeting blue. _Even as a human I'm such a klutz! I can't believe he caught me though...fast reflexes I guess. If only I had been watching where I was going. It would have probably be easier if I had my glasses on. I'm blind as a bat unless something is right in my face...like how he is._

Duke looked at her for a second then smiled moved her blonde hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her hair was soft to the touch. He then noticed she didn't have her glasses on, which would explain why she couldn't see he was there. Looking towards the table, he spotted her glasses. He reached for them then gently put them on her face, like he had done when they were in the cage. His heart was pounding in his chest. Leaning back slightly, he asked, "Did ya...um...find anythin' out...'bout the laser?"

"Um...well...unfortunately for us...there wasn't a reverse switch or any way to reverse the effects period. We might very well be stuck like this," she added, fixing her glasses slightly, "I did find what seemed to be a riddle of some sort though...engraved on a metal plate by the trigger." They slowly and reluctantly pulled away from each other. Duke walked to the other side of the table as Tanya walked over to the laser, turned it over and pointed to the metal plate, "Right here. It says, 'When in this form, you will find...'"

"'The truth revealed with love divine,'" Duke finished for her, "What is that supposed to mean? I hate riddles. Ya got any idea sweetheart?"

"Not a clue...wait...there is something else engraved under it. It's a little dirty," she said, wiping off the dirt. Once it was clean, she continued reading it, "'With this truth, comes the bliss, only experienced from..." her eyes went wide as she trailed off reading the last part. Her glasses slid down to rest on the bridge of her nose. When she looked up at Duke, she saw him looking at her curious. Clearing her throat, "Well...the rest isn't important...I know how to reverse this now."

"Ya do? How? What do we have to do?" he asked.

Tanya smiled then took hold of his hand, "Let's go out for that walk...that way there will be no cameras watching." As she said this, she turned towards the camera, looking straight into it.

Duke nodded, "Okay...but what does goin' out for a walk have to do with changin' back?" He was still confused, and Tanya certainly wasn't helping the situation.

"Just trust me, I know what I'm doing," she said, pulling him outside with her.

"Always sweetheart," he said following her.

Once they were outside of the Pond, Tanya and Duke walked down towards the park. On the way, they saw the bags that they had dropped when they were kidnapped. They picked them up, made sure everything was there and continued walking towards the park. They walked in silence until Tanya spoke up, "Do you remember The Black Cat incident?"

"Yeah...I rememba' readin' somethin' about that. Someone had hacked into the government's system, exploited all the leaders' secrets and got them removed from office. They had found the IP address the hacker used and was tryin' to track it, but the track ran cold. I also heard someone sayin' that whoever hacked them knew how to bury their tracks. It was an amazing story. I kinda always wondered who it was that did all that. Wanted to congradulate 'im personally," Duke recalled.

"Not him," Tanya said.

He turned to her confused, "Huh?"

"It wasn't a him...it was a her."

"How do ya know that? Ya met 'er?" he asked.

Tanya shook her head, straightened her glasses then looked at him, "You're looking at her."

His eyes widened, "You're kiddin'. The Black Cat...that was you?"

She nodded, "I was an ace at computer tracking when I was in high school. My senior year, they had announced that within a few years the political heads were going to create a new world order. If you ask me, they were going to dic...dicta...rule Puckworld. Anyway, when I graduated, I got a job at Tech Industries. I worked in the lab for the longest. I created everything, from circuit boards to machines and weapons. I read an article in the paper saying that if they weren't stopped, then it could mean complete destruction for Puckworld. Lucky for me I had hacked many major corporations and called many people out for fraud and money laundering. I hacked into the government systems without breaking a sweat. I saw where someone was attempting to back track to me, so I sent a phony IP address that landed at a cell tower about a thousand miles away in the middle of the ocean. I leaked all the information and got them out of a job and sent to prison. Did all this in a matter of minutes. That's why they called me The Black Cat."

Duke didn't know what to think, "Wow Tanya...that's amazin'. I have a whole other level of respect for ya. I've gotta ask...did ya look into all of us before ya met us?"

"Yes I did. Everyone checked out except for one Duke L'Orange. The notorious mob boss who could rob a museum full of people and not be seen by anyone. I have to say though, if we did make it back to Puckworld I don't think you would have a problem with the police."

"Why do ya say that? I've robbed all kinds of places. Heck I probably have the death penalty on my head for when I return," he said. "Why would ya think I wouldn't have a problem? Did ya do somethin'?"

Tanya merely smiled and kept walking leaving a stunned Duke behind.

"Ya hacked into the police computers?" he asked, "When did ya do this?"

"Before we left Puckworld. I wiped your folder completely clean," she said, stopping by the fountain in the park, looking up at the moon.

"But...why would ya do that Tanya? And for me, no less?" he asked, walking up to stand beside her.

She looked at him then turned toward him and smiled, "Because I happen to sorta, ya know, be in love with you...Duke L'Orange." She laughed when she saw his surprised face.

"You...you love me?" he asked, making sure he heard her correctly.

Tanya nodded then wrapped her arms around his neck, still smiling, "Not convinced? Well then maybe this will convince you..."

"What are ya-" he was cut off by a pair of soft lips on his own. His eyes widened before softening once he realized it was Tanya. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him and began kissing back.

The kiss lasted less than a minute. By the time the kiss ended, they both felt something strange happening to them. When they pulled back and opened their eyes, they saw they were ducks once more. Looking at themselves, they smiled then hugged each other. Being as excited as she was, Tanya pulled Duke in for a short kiss. She then pulled back, embarrassed of her actions. Duke placed his hand under her beak and pulled her in for another kiss.

Tanya kissed him back, gripping his arm. When they pulled apart, she smiled, "Let's go back to the Pond."

He nodded, smiling then picked up a bag. She picked up the other one and they started walking back. After a few steps, Tanya wrapped an arm around Duke's and leaned her head against his shoulder. He smiled then wrapped that arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Walking inside, Duke looked towards Tanya, "How did ya know that would turn us back to normal?"

She just shrugged, looking at him with a teasing glint in her eye, "That's for me to know and for no one else to find out."

"Oh Tanya, babe, sweetheart...ya can tell me," he said, trying to butter her up. It obviously didn't work, because she made like she was zipping her beak shut then stepped into the elevator. They went down to the hideout. While they were still on the elevator, Duke grinned, "Ya wanna pull somethin' on the others?"

"Like what? Tanya asked.

"I say we walk in and just act like nothing has changed. Just go about sittin' around and such when we walk in. What do ya say sweetheart? Wanna see their reactions?" he asked tilting her beak up.

"Absolutely," she said then pecked him on the beak real quick, "showtime."

They walked out of the elevator calmly as if nothing had happened. Nosedive was reading a comic book and Wildwing was watching Mallory and Grin play chess. Tanya took off the purple coat she had on and hung it on the back of the chair Nosedive was in, showing off the white tank top she wore underneath. He looked up briefly to acknowledge her entrance only to fall out of his chair exclaiming, "What the duck?! Tanya?!"

The other three looked at Nosedive, curiously. When they saw him looking in the kitchen, they turned to also look to see what the commotion was about. Their jaws dropped seeing Tanya and Duke. Tanya was making some tea and Duke was polishing his saber. What got their attention...was that they were both ducks again! The two hadn't said a word since they entered the room. Wildwing cleared his throat, catching their attention. When they looked at him, he looked at them curiously, "When did this happen?" motioning to them.

"When did what happen? Need to be a little more specific Wildwing," Duke teased.

"When did you two turn back?"

Tanya looked up at the clock then turned back to Wildwing, "Approximately 14 minutes and 53 seconds ago." They all looked at her, "What? I'm good with time."

Mallory placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward teasingly, "Is there something we are missing here love birds?" She walked over behind Tanya placing her hands on her shoulders from behind and leaning in to whisper, "Did something happen when you two went out? C'mon girl...I want details."

Tanya glanced at Duke, then looked at Mallory and smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, "My beak is shut."

"Awww c'mon Tanya! Spill!" Mallory begged then leaned in close again, seeing a chance to catch the blonde off guard, "Is he at least a good kisser? How does it feel to have someone initiate the first kiss?"

"I wouldn't know considering I'm the one who..." her eyes opened wide then she slapped her hands over her beak, catching herself before she said anything.

"Wait wait wait...you initiated the kiss?" the red-head teased, more interested than before.

"N-no! W-well yes...but no! Aw geez...me and my big beak!" the blonde exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Which is it Tanya? Yes...or no?"

Duke came to her rescue and calmly walked around the island, standing beside her, "Ya want details Mal-Mal?"

"Duh! C'mon L'Orange I know you're dying to let someone in on this juicy piece of gossip," Mallory probed. Even Wildwing was interested in this.

Duke looked at the others, then glanced at Tanya. Seeing her cock an eyebrow at him, he smirked, _Payback for earlier sweetheart._ "Then how about this?" Out of nowhere, Duke dipped Tanya backwards, while she was still in her chair, and kissed her in front of their teammates.

The others looked for her reaction.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back just as passionately. When Duke rose her back up from dipping her and pulled away from the kiss, Tanya leaned back in the chair with a goofy grin on her face.

Duke looked at the shell-shocked Mallory, "Detailed enough for ya?" Not getting an answer he looked at Tanya and laughed at the goofy look on her face, "Am I that good of a kisser sweetheart?"

"Mmm...well considering that I can't stop grinning like a fool, I would say that would be a definate yes Duke," she stated.

He laughed then pulled her out of the chair and into an embrace, then looked at the others, "What do ya say we all hit the hay? We could probably all use some shut eye after the big day we just had."

All agreeing, their teammates went their separate ways, heading to bed. Duke and Tanya still stood in the kitchen. Tanya took her headband out of her hair, causing it to fall down to her shoulders. She stretched a bit then looked at Duke and punched his arm, "Did you have to do that in front of them?"

"Ya didn't want them to know?" he asked, smiling.

"No that part doesn't bother me. I mean did you have to kiss me like that in front of them?" she said, pretending to be mad.

"Sorry sweetheart, but that was some payback for not telling me how ya knew that kiss would change us back," he said, "speaking of which...how did ya know?" He was genuinely curious how looking at what an engraving on the laser said had given her the answer to them changing back.

Instead of answering, Tanya looked beside her for a second then grabbed a pen and note pad, writing something down. When she finished, she put the pen down and handed him the pad.

He read it aloud, "'When in this form you will find, the truth revealed with love divine'...we already read that...how did that help-"

She cut him off, "Read the bottom part of the riddle."

Looking at it again, he read it to himself before he smirked then looked at her, "That's how you figured it out?" Seeing her nod, he placed the pad down on the table then pulled her to him and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she kissed him back. Pulling back just an inch, he moved some hair out of her face and smiled, "I love ya Tanya...don't ya ever change. You're perfect just the way ya are."

She smiled back, "And I love you too Duke...and who better to be with a jewel thief...than an ace hacker?"

Smiling, he pulled her into another kiss.

Tanya pulled him closer, deepening the kiss easily, fighting his tongue for a battle of dominance. She leaned back against the island as Duke tangled his fingers in her long blonde hair.

Sleep was far from both the lovers' minds as they reached a whole new level of their relationship. Oblivious to everything as they lost themselves in each other. The only thing standing out as the moon started to peak in through a vent, was a note. A riddle that was written in Tanya's neat and unique handwriting. the note read:

 _When in this form you will find,_  
 _The truth revealed with love divine._

 _With this truth, comes the bliss,_  
 _Only experienced from True Love's Kiss._


End file.
